Before the Singapore International Festival of Arts is upon us, pre-festival The O.P.E.N. has plenty to keep you engaged and interested. Featuring more than 40 programmes over 18 days, including music performances, art installations, workshops and talks, the line-up also includes a total of 25 film screenings — the largest ever for the event. From opening title The Arabian Nights Trilogy by Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes to closing documentary Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) by Gianfranco Rosi, the films selected run the gamut of genres and stories.
Here, we highlight the top five chosen by curator Tan Bee Thiam, a Singapore-based filmmaker who’s worked with indie film collective 13 Little Pictures.
A Magical Substance Flows Into Me + Return to Nostalgia
June 30, 7.30pm at The Projector
For the two-part screening, the former is a documentary that explores the diverse musical traditions of historical Palestine, uncovering new music performances from the likes of Kurdish, Yemenite and Moroccan Jews, Palestinian Bedouins and more. The latter follows filmmaker Woo Ming Jin on his journey to search for Seruan Merdeka (Call Of Freedom), a lost film made in Malaya in 1947.
Tan says “These two films are made by young filmmakers excavating the richness of the archives to explore the relevance of the past for the present generation.”
Homeland (Iraq Year Zero)
July 2, 3pm & 6pm at The Projector
Delve into the world of Iraqi filmmaker Abbas Fahdel as he depicts everyday hardships his family experienced over one and a half years before and after the 2003 US-led invasion of his country.
Tan says “It’s an interesting take of a filmmaker who went back to Iraq in 2003 to be with his family. Through his home movie, we see Iraq through the destiny of his nephew.”
Lost and Beautiful
June 26, 3pm at The Projector
Shot on expired 16mm film stock, this mix of documentary and fiction follows the intriguing travels of a man and a buffalo through Italy.
Tan says “It’s a deeply moving and cinematic Derridean quest for original moments.”
Sixty Six
June 26, 8.30pm at The Projector
American avant-garde filmmaker Lewis Klahr marks his 30 years in collage filmmaking with an anthology of 12 short films featuring everything from Greek myths to comic book superheroes.
Tan says “It’s a collage film that imagines a world where “the dreams you have forgotten equal the value of what you do not know”.”
Uncle Howard
June 29, 7.30pm at The Projector
This compelling portrait of Howard Brookner reveals the life of the gay man/Ivy League graduate/rising Hollywood star before he succumbed to AIDS when he was 35. It’s directed by Aaron Brookner, his nephew, who was seven when he died.
Tan says “It’s about a young filmmaker remembers his loving uncle who passed away of AIDS in the ’80s.”
The O.P.E.N. goes from Jun 22 to Jul 9 at various venues. $45 for access to all programmes; $25 for concession pass, $10 for selected single entry ticket.
